Sierra Nevada Harvest

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Chico, California USA

Copper coloured with a huge dense and chunky head typial of SN. Aroma is fantastic, really shows of a complex assault of hops alongside a really solid biscuity malt character. Mouthfeel then dissapoints a bit, rather thin with almost too light carbonation. Flavour also delivers less than the aroma promises but still delivers a tasty, highly drinkable IPA.

2009 edition,13th anniversary 24 ounce bottle at the Beerhive- wet hopped. Pours a dark amber color with a dark full white head. The aroma is sweet citrus hops, caramel and light earthy malts. A full balanced flavor; rich caramel, sweet citrus and pine hops. Lightly bitter in the finish. Very aromatic and flavorful. Nice.

First, I disagree with this being reviewed under the same entry as last years version, because this is a different bottle altogether. I thought about starting a new listing, but everyone else seems to be putting their reviews under this one so, I guess that I will, too. Last years release (11th) was a dry-hopped version, while this years is wet-hopped. Last years was 6.2% abv while this years is 6.7% abv. Clear, golden amber liquid, similar to maple syrup in appearance. Massive 4+ finger head with very good retention. Excellent lacing, very sticky. Very hoppy nose. Very citrusy. Lots of lemon zest and tons of grapefruit. Lighter floral tones. Slight hint of fresh-cut grass. Some sweet malt notes are detected. Big bitter hop bite smacked me in the face, right out of the gate. Piney, citrusy and floral all combine for an abundant attack. Flavors of grapefruit, pine resin, and bitter citrus. Light malt sweetness is in there, but it’s way down deep. Good mouthfeel in general, but I find it abit on the waterey side. I can see that this would make an easy drinking bottle, but for me, the hops are too over dominant. I might pick up a few bottles to cellar for a year or two, to see how they age.

When I came across this baby at my local beer purveyor, I was shocked to find that no one had yet rated it! Perhaps it’s not in many hands yet? I have not had the priviledge of trying this beer before, but after experiencing it, I know I’ll look for it year after year! I could not add this beer as an "American Ale" as the label tagged it, so "American Pale Ale" was the next closest thing I could think of. Still, it mimics an IPA (to me at least) more than anything else. There is great balance and composure present here; the mouthfeel is superb as is the bright caramel appearance. The aroma is somewhat subdued - held under wraps by a decent cap of foam. As it warms in the glass, the aromas release to unveil hops, hops and more hops! Like the label says "unmatched aromatics of pine and citrus with layers of spicy-sweet notes that hop fanatics like us dream of all year." To me, this beer elicits everything I look for in a brew: nice appearance, decent head, pleasant aroma, balance on the palette and hop ’personality’! A winner! I can’t wait to head back to the store to scarf up a few more bottles!

2008 12th Release Harvest Wet Hop Ale, so says the 24 oz. bottle. Pours a nice cloudy red-orange color with a big fluffy light beige head that laces the glass. Aroma is light, balanced, and understated, with notes of hops, citrus, pine, grass, tea, caramel, and bread. The flavor is more hoppy, with sweet malts, bread, straw, grass, and a general earthiness to it, and citrus, caramel, and tea notes rounding it out. Dry, sweet early and transitioning into a more bitter middle and end. I liked this one more as I got further along, but I probably should have cracked it open a lot sooner. I’ll be interested to re-rate with a fresher 2009 version because I think this one is better than what I experienced.

Vintage 2008. Serving date: 2009-02-16. Served in snifter. Presentation: 710 ml bulky and good looking bottle (looks like a regular Sierra Nevada bottle on steroids) with no freshness date to be found. A great deal of bragging about the unique brewing process on the label. A slightly reddish amber color. The liquid is clear, the 2 finger head is off-white, very creamy and sticks around for a while before settling into a decent lid of foam. A predominantly hoppy smell: Plenty of fruity aromas - citrus fruits, mostly in the form of grapefruit but also some hints of lemon peel - but also a more earthy and grassy smell of hop resins. Perhaps not the most complex smell, but still very refreshing and pleasant. A mix of delightful fruit flavors up front in the taste: Again, mostly sweet lemon and grapefruit, but I think I find some hints of peaches and strawberries here as well (I recently had the Celebration Ale from the same brewer, and I found the same taste of strawberries, but much more prominent, in that one). Then, dense earthy flavors, grass and weeds take over. The combination of fruity and earthy hop flavors in this one is really great. Perhaps some notes of tobacco are here as well. Beneath the hop aroma, a sweet taste of caramel-like malts backs things up. It finishes slightly dry with a firm, but not overpowering bitterness and long lasting hop resins. Moderate body, medium carbonation. Somehow, I get the impression that the texture has a gentle crispness to it, yet still rather smooth. A delightful beer. Although it’s definitely on the hoppy side, it still feels very balanced. It has definitely not the most complex taste out there, but still it is a really refreshing blend of tropical fruits, earthy hop resins and restrained sweet malts. And although the hops really dominates, they never get too aggressive or overpowering. It’s a laid back beer, yet it’s full of character - somehow, I can’t stop thinking of it as a Celebration Ale in harmony. Highly recommended. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)

24oz - Dark copper liquid under nice off-white head. The citrus nose was nice, but the palate was a one dimensional bitterness which the ample malt did not mitigate.

22oz, 13th anniv release. Pours a clear dark reddish copper with an average beige head. Nose is subtle citrus and pine hops. Taste is caramel, lipton tea, pine, grapefruit, earthy hops. Not sure what they use, but i am guessing there are some combination of chinook, columbus and/or cascades in there. It is balanced with some semi-sweet graininess and some biscuit flavors as well. Body is medium, carbonation is medium to moderate. Not bad, but it could use some more fresh hops in the flavoring part of the boil and more dry hopping..gimme more fresh hops or gimme death!